I once saw an image macro of a man saying, “Oh, I’m sorry. Did the middle of my sentence interrupt the beginning of yours?” I chuckled to myself, and then laughed some more – louder this time. Uproars escaped my clenched gut, rolling on the ground in fits of laughter. Then I exploded in a supernova of giggles and confetti. It’s funny ‘cause it’s true.

I can’t possibly tell you the hatred I have for interruption. We have all been there. I’m excited to tell a friend or group of friends about how I got free drinks and a coconut bra on a Hawaiian cruise, and some blundering loud spout chimes in right in the middle of my story. That’s the thing. It’s never right at the beginning, before things take off. It’s seldom at the end, even before the punch line. It’s always right in the middle. And I’m left hanging with half of a story to finish.

Stand-up comics are a terrific example. It takes a lot of building up to knock the audience down with a punch line, and the full effect of the joke is heartlessly robbed if the exposition isn’t experienced. Imagine being in the front row of a Jim Gaffigan show and having to go to the bathroom right in the middle of one of his jokes. After seeing the ambiance of the club bathroom in all its “glory,” the joke’s prestige has long since been forgotten. Did he say “bacon shoes?” Why is everyone laughing? I’d better just start talking loudly so I get the attention. “All right. On to the next one! I had a wonderful pee.”

That’s what an interruption is. It’s taking a sledgehammer to the effort the person who has the floor worked very hard to establish. If the interrupter allows the interrupted to finish, all they have left is shambles to work with. That’s the biggest part – IF, if the person gives it back, there’s nothing to work with, but you can still finish the story and not have it sitting inside you. If, however, the offender steers conversation into an entirely new direction, a story saved inside will stay there forever. Waiting…

People say it isn’t that bad. That everyone does it, and you know what? They may be right. Wait. No, they aren’t. That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard in my life. Why even allow the chance to have someone stomp all over your turn at conversation? Didn’t we learn this in kindergarten? Take turns! Be polite! This isn’t ‘Nam! There are rules!

Therefore, the solution is NOT TO INTERRUPT ANYBODY. Just don’t. If there’s anything in the world we can fix today to make it more hospitable for another, it’s to stop interrupting. That and give the person speaking your attention. The listener has the power to decide who gets their attention. Fun fact: it shouldn’t go to the person who is the loudest. If everyone were to learn to open their ears and stop thinking about their own experiences for a second, we would all be smart enough to stay Pre-Med for longer than a semester.